Reloading while distracted

[Alstep]

Been there, done that, but luckily always caught myself.

That's why I only shoot my reloads and will not reload for anybody else. Conversely, I never shoot anybody else's loads.

[Arkansas Paul]

I've had a oops before.
I apparently primed a case and seated a bullet without charging it. It's been a while, but if I recall correctly, the primer got the bullet far enough down the pipe that another round chambered. Thankfully I had the wherewithal to not just rechamber and fire another round.
I don't know if it was due to distraction or not, but now I'm more careful. No loading when I'm stressed about something else, and of course if I've had a few adult beverages that evening, no loading after. I may go piddle around in the shop and prep brass in that situation, but never loading ammo.

[35 Rem]

Yeah, it's real easy to do something wrong with loading. I keep my powder on a high shelf and only get the can I'm currently loading down. Never have 2 powder cans out at the same time. And I talk myself through what I'm loading out loud repeatedly. Even hold up a case or two and read the headstamp to be sure I'm loading the cartridge that matches the data. I prefer powder droppers to weighing charges too for safety sake. Check a couple drops, compare scale reading to data, verify scale setting, then compare all powder charges with a flashlight while in the loading block. This is assuming it's a case where you can see the powder charge that way. And if you have too much going on to focus 100% on the loading, wait and do it another day. I ran into one of those days just last week and found myself almost double charging a 38 Special case - most likely would have caught it with the flashlight but even getting close to doing it scared me.

[ioon44]

I keep my powder in a desk draw in my reloading room and only get the can of powder out that I am using everything else is out of sight.

Doing anything that can be dangerous while distracted whether it is reloading, driving, using a chain saw, cooking or anything else that need your full attention is a bad idea.

[WRideout]

I recently had to take my FEG P9R to the gunsmith to replace an extractor. I had been shooting my 9mm reloads with the usual formula; 356402 over 4.3 gr promo. The powder is somewhat fluffy, and I don't know how I would even get a double charge in it, or miss seeing it if I did.

Anyway, I never felt or heard anything out of the ordinary, but suddenly it started failing to extract. I pushed the empty case out of the bore, and it looked like the primer had never been fired. The case was bulged just forward of the extractor cut, and it appeared highly overpressured. The extractor had sheared off the pins holding it, and it flew into the far regions, never to be seen again. No other visible damage to the gun.

As George noted above, there are just times when there is no known reason for a mishap.

[FISH4BUGS]

I only listen to classical music when I reload.
I have blown up two guns in my days. It happened with a double charge of 231 in 9mm. I figured out why - an unprocessed military case on a Dillon 550, and the primer did want to go in easily. Rather than clear the press, I yanked out the offending case, replaced it, did NOT advance the stations, and pulled the handle again.
Instant double charge.
BOOM! Blew it up when I shot the round.
Changed protocol when loading to visually inspect the loaded round powder level before seating the bullet.
One of those lights that goes into the center of the tool head makes that possible on the 550.

[jsizemore]

I use a clip on light shining into the case at the bullet seating station on my Dillon 550.

[dverna]

Many years ago, after reading about a guy who had a bad accident, I invested in powder check dies for the two 1050’s and 650. The main concern was powder bridging due to static electricity.

My protocol for loading rifle on the Co-Ax makes a double charge or over charge impossible.

There is good advice in previous posts about one powder on the bench at a time.

Frankly, it is remarkable there are so few accidents.

[Wayne Smith]

I have only blown up one gun - and that an old Colt in 41 Colt. When I got home I pulled the boolets and weighted the charge 15gr BE instead of 5gr BE! I misread the hanging indicator on my Lyman scale, thought it was on 5.

Being ADHD I am internally distracted. I have multiple times loaded a round without powder. Never had a primer push a boolet far enough that another round would chamber or that the cylinder was not locked up.

[Petander]

Silence for me.

But the cat behind the door...

[ioon44]

Cats are always on the wrong side of the door.

[JoeJames]

I've had a oops before.
I apparently primed a case and seated a bullet without charging it. It's been a while, but if I recall correctly, the primer got the bullet far enough down the pipe that another round chambered. Thankfully I had the wherewithal to not just rechamber and fire another round.
I don't know if it was due to distraction or not, but now I'm more careful. No loading when I'm stressed about something else, and of course if I've had a few adult beverages that evening, no loading after. I may go piddle around in the shop and prep brass in that situation, but never loading ammo.

I had loaded up several rounds for my S&W 631 in 32S&W Long - with I think 2.1 grains of Bullseye and a Lee 90 grain TL swc. Shooting at my cousins range, and heard a gentle pop. Checked to make sure the barrel was clear. Asked my cousin what he noticed. He said he heard the pop, and saw the bullet bounce off the paper target at 15 yards. So no powder, but the primer was enough to send it on downrange.

[Rapier]

A powder throw left on a bench is just a black hole. Things that live in black holes will move in, check before you start reloading, a Brown Recluse loves black holes. Learned that the hard way on a preset throw left for a bit, mid box reload. Got called away from the bench on the new house build. Came back after 3 days and a Brown Recluse had taken up residence, found it after tearing the reloading room apart looking.

I wear electronic hard poured ear plugs so any sound out of the ordinary trips an instant stop. In this case I got a blapp sound, stopped and started looking.

[Tripplebeards]

I always make it a common practice now to leave only one powder on my reloading table. I normally did make it to practice, but screwed up one day a few years ago and posted it here. I grabbed the wrong powder and loaded up some 44 mags. I believe I was talking on my cell phone at the time and reloading while the TV was on as well. The TV normally doesn’t bother me, but getting distracted from a phone call and having a conversation distracted me enough to grab the wrong powder. Thank God it was a slow burning imr 7828 powder for my 300 RUM. I was shooting the pistol and I had pieces of big stick powder that were unburnt laying all over the shooting bench a half a foot in front of my barrel. Thank God it wasn’t a fast burning powder! Lesson learned. Im lucky it didn’t hurt anything but my pride that day.

[white eagle]

being distracted when working with that is a recipe for disaster
good thing you caught it

[lightman]

Glad you caught that! I learned long ago to not load and be distracted. I'll resize and/or prep cases with other stuff going on. I'll even sip on a beer or two but when the powder comes out everything else goes on hold.

[Recycled bullet]

Design and Implement a plan that maximizes your ability to eliminate operator error and then stick to it. See that was easy to say!

[MOshooter]

My reloading room is my peaceful room, where I'm fully tuned into what I'm working on "reloading".
My biggest distraction at this point is our 6 year old grandson that's interested in shooting and reloading. He's helped Papa prime, fill cases with powder, size brass, seat bullets or boolits depending on what we're reloading. He's also helped sized some boolits I recently casted when he wasn't here

I prefer to reload alone, unless I'm teaching someone.

[abunaitoo]

Had a friend do that once.
Double charge answering the phone.
Was sitting a couple of benches down from him when he fired it off.
Babooooom!!!!!
Ended up flying off the bench, landing on his back.
But he held on to the rifle.
Ran over to him, with a few, other to see if he was still alive.
Nothing but a sore shoulder.
Rifle was not damaged.

[Winger Ed.]

My biggest distraction at this point is our 6 year old grandson

I've done that too with kids when they were little, and enjoyed every minute of it.
But only on a single stage press and with handgun cases using a powder that would over flow the case if double charged.

When the oldest was about 4, he was helping one time and couldn't wait to stroke the handle.
I had some close calls, and finally asked him if he was trying to pinch my finger in the ram.
He said, "Yes". I always had to watch that kid......